Peony - A Great Friend!

This weekend, my friend Peony from Lawrence, KS flew down to see us and to meet our newest addition. She was here from Friday evening to Sunday evening and it was 48 hours of fun! For those who don't know her - you're missing out. She and I met while working for a small consulting company in Columbia, MO and she's truly one of the most wonderful people I've ever met (meeting each other was the only good thing that came out of working there, I swear).

The most exciting news is that she's pregnant and due in February. I'm so excited for her and her husband; the baby will be born in Germany while they're over there for his work.

Saturday we went to the Arts Center to see the Picasso exhibit. The best part was the kids area where there was a magnetic "Mr. Picasso Head" and "Picuzzles" to play with. The rest of it, while interesting, wasn't the best exhibit I'd ever visited. Fine to see once, wouldn't go twice.

Sunday we hiked to the top of Pinnacle Mountain while Herb played with the kids at the park. It took us 30 minutes to go each way and we spent about 15-20 at the top. I thought I was going to die a couple of times on the way up, but other than that it was all good. I love getting out and doing physical things...especially walking and hiking...and I forget how much I enjoy it until I do something like that. I'm a little sore, but I want to go do it again!

Yoga & Poop

The other day, I got a wonderful email from a friend who suggested I reincorporate yoga into my day to help alleviate the stress associated with parenting two children alone for hours on end. This morning I gave it a try. Here's how it went: Insert Baron Baptiste video. Watch the beginning "inspirational testimonials" while Kristen nurses and while explaining to Owen that we're going to do what the nice man on TV does. Kristen's not finished when the yoga starts, so we just watch for a while. Baby finishes and in the swing she goes.

Rewind the video to the start of the exercises. The first 60 seconds go wonderfully with Owen and I downward-dogging like beginners. I can only touch my shins when I bend over and my downward dog looks more like a rectangle than a triangle. I wonder what happened to the advanced-intermediate yogi I used to be but attempt to clear my mind of self-judgment and focus on my body's current (dis)abilities. Owen wanders off between the couches. I'm thankful for the moment of quiet; at two, Owen's not the most serene yoga partner.

He wanders back out a few minutes later and intermittently bounces bottomless on a ball and hangs on my legs, knocking me over. I notice a scent. Did he fart? He claims no. Did he poop? Yes, he says. Ooh, did you poop on the potty? No. Well then, where did you poop? Tiny finger pointing to the area between the couches. I discover one man-log and one small turd. Yucky, Owen. We make poops in the potty, not on the floor. What an interesting part of my reacquaintance with yoga; for some reason, I don't remember this from before. I wash the butt, scrub balls on which poopy butt had been bouncing with antibacterial soap, & pick up turd & log before the dog finds and eats them. I return to the yoga until I actually can touch my toes again (this takes about 10 minutes) and then shut off the video since I wasn't really paying much attention to it anyway. I'll definitely be doing it again tomorrow...even though it doesn't sound relaxing and certainly wasn't as relaxing as my classes used to be, it set a good tone for the remainder of the day!

June 15

Kristen - 3 months old today, 13 pounds, and 25 inches! She'll be growing out of her infant seat before I know it!

June 13, 2006

New pictures have been posted at http://www.ejerph.com/gallery2/v/Friends/Jackie/?g2_page=3

As I write, I can hear the sound of my son snoring through the monitor. Deep breathing and snoring at 9:29 PM is a beautiful thing.

I haven't written in a while for several reasons. Reason #1: Too many young children and chores, too little time. Reason #2: Spouse works looooong hours during the summer session. Reason #3: My mom, sister, and niece came to visit for five or six days last week. Reason #4: A mild addiction to Spider Solitaire when I sit down to write anything. So tonight my goal is to catch up a bit on my email and get something posted to the blog. Blog first.

My mom, sister, and niece's visit went well for the most part. There were no major wars among us, the kids did quite well with each other, and we accomplished some projects around the house and lounged around the pool. Technically I didn't do much lounging myself but I did get it all clean and beautiful! For those of you who are wondering, having a 30-month old, a 9-month old and a 3-month old in the house all at the same time is loud.

Owen resumed classes at The Little Gym today (www.tlglr.com) and had a great time! He wanted to do everything "ALL BY MYFULF" and had a couple of personal crises related thereto. However, I'm glad to have him re-enrolled and he has the same teacher (Jennifer) that he had when he was enrolled last spring. I don't think he remembers her but he likes her nonetheless.

I've started looking into part-time preschool programs for Owen and essentially what I've discovered is that I should have been doing this a year ago. Of course a year ago Owen was quite shy and clingy and it appeared that he'd not be ready for time away from mommy this soon. A year ago I also didn't have a second baby to care for and thus didn't have the desire for time alone with Kristen. There are two Mother's Day Out programs somewhat closeby that I plan to check out if they have space available. Perhaps between MDO, some structured activities, play dates and Kristen getting older, all will be well for the kids and me. And before I know it, Owen's name will be at the top of the preschool waiting lists and he'll be off to school part-time. And then I'll miss him while he's there.